Convertible furniture



July 29, 1958 Filed Jan. 10, 1957 M. BORENSTEIN 2,845,112

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-s .-5 i N Si N m @L INVENTOR. A14/amv 5mi/V575 BY /Zm/ A frm/vir July 29, 1958 M. BORENSTEIN CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. l0, 1957 ATTORNEY United States Patent() CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE Martin Borenstein, Berkeley,` Calif. Application January 10, 1957, Serial No. 633,440 l 3 Claims. (Cl. 1557-112)I This invention relatesI to convertible furniture, and has for an object'to providea basic unit that isadapted to separably and ir'lterchangeablyV interconnect with' a complement of elements whereby, without even the simplest; of tools, the'same may bey converted from on type of furniture to another.

Anotherl objecty of f they inventionv is to provide ffurniture, as above contemplated, that has a basic-unit' of multiple design to impart great exibility in the" selectivenessof 'I'heinvention-also has for its objects to'provide suchI means that arepositiveeinoperation, convenient i-niuse;

easily installed inV a Working position' and easily= disf connected therefrom, ecenomical of manufacture;- rela-l tively simple, and ofgeneral superiority and service" ability.

The invention also comprises novel= details of con# struction and novel combi-nations and arrangements of? parts, whichwill l more -fnllyv appearin f tliecourse e of l the However, the drawings merelyr show andthe following 'description/merely. describes, one

following description;

embodiment of the present invention; which* isgiven-by way of illustrationor example only.

ln the`drawings, like reference characters* designate similar parts in thev several? views..

Fig. l= is a. front elevational view of; a convertible furniture structure according to the present invention and showing` one manner of assemblyof: the various'con'is ponents thereof. i

Fig. 2 is a partly broken plneviewtliereof with some of the componentsremovedtotshevunner constrnetion.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are enlarged cross-sectional views as taken on the respective lines 3 3, 4-4 and 5--5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a broken longitudinal sectional view of said structure.

Fig. 7 is a broken and exploded perspective view showing details of construction.

The furniture structure of the present invention comprises, generally, a basic unit 10 that constitutes a base and is preferably spaced above the floor by suitable legs or the like 11, a set of similar support elements 12 provided in or on said unit 10, edgeor margin-engaging members or elements 13 and 14 separably mounted on said unit and adaptedto have more than one selected position thereon, seat cushions 15 replaceably mounted y 2,845,112 Patented July 29, 1958 2 onsaid' support elements 12 and coni-ined, in part, by elements ofthebasic unit 10 and one or more ofthe membersel3andtl4, andfoneor more table tops 16 replaceably fitted to' the'I basicunit 10.

The` basic unit 10`icomprisesl a preferably rectangular frame -20 that is formed; of f similar front andi back longitudinal4 board members 21 shorter end board mernL bers 22;,and oneor more intermediate or partition board members 213i In this@V manner, frame 20 is divided into substantially similar framed openings 24. Byusing two board members 24, three framed openings are provided, as shown; use ofl onememberl Will provide twoframedl openings; vand use of three members 24 will" provide four suchy openings: Thus, tlieframe 20-is a multiple` one', havingtwo; three, four or even more framed openings, as desired;v 4

Iny eachI opening24-and`-a'longthe inside of the front board member 21-, there is' provided a ledge member 25, the same, as shown in Figs.' 3, 4 and 5; being half-'lapped' with the` lower edge of` member 21l A similar but'- narrowerldge member 26 is provided onv the insidel of ltlre'back board member, The'legs 11" may, as-fshown; beaixed to-members` 25 and- 26,- two atthefiont and two atthebaclc', forV frames having three or fewer open-v ings 24', and'three each'atthe front'andy back for framest having four or more openings.

The" support' elementsl 12 each comprise a flat frame 2.7'of"such`rectangular size asto loosely iit into anopen ing 24', said frame-being' reinforced by metal channels: 28because the same are under stress. The stressr is= produced by a set` of elastic webs 29-*that span between the-frontand'back parts=of each frame, the same being under-` considerable stretch and, therefore, constituting resilient supportfmeans spanning each saidopening; Thel mentioned'frame27, alongy one' end, is provided with a1 cleat 30 or'the-like', the same being so'positionedfasy toreside inward ofiledgel member 26 when` an element- 12i is placed in an opening 24 with said cleat at the bacl,A

andi to restl'edgemember 25 when such element is'reversed` fr'ont'to'bacli'. In theiirst position, thel sup-- port element'12 has a at low position, as shownbest! in Figs. 3' and:4- and; therefore,the frame members-surrounding the same-(lehne a rectangular seat thereabove. In the. second" position, thel support' element 12 has.V a`

tilted' position slopingv downwardlyv toward `v the back, as. shown best inFig; andon' tl'ierear part off thebasic.

unit formsa seatabove said element 12.

jIt will be understood that the element12`j in any. of'.` the. frame openings' 24, mayfbe placed inthe at or rearfwa'rdly` slopedl positionl above described; l

The margin-engaging member-13V shown as antarm rest and the same may be separably mounted on one-.ort

the; other or both end'ffboardmembers 22; As seenbest inFigs; 5; 6y and 72 tHe-element 13a iscformed witlraf side board 31. that lias': endwise.- engagement; againsty the outerJ faceloffa boa-rd'. member: 22;.witlit'an-upper board;

32P-that rests. upontheiftop; edgemf,` board-ImemberifZZ, and such additional frame members 33 as may be needed to connect boards 31 and 32 to an arm rest board 34. Since the boards 31 and 32 cooperate to form a nest or seat in which board 22 is received, said member 13 constitutes a side arm rest extension on the frame 10 when the same is fastened in place.

lThe fastening means here provided comprises a swing latch or hook 35 that separably connects the lower edges of members 22 and 31, and a pair of headed pins 36 that pass through holes 37 in board member 32 and into seats 38 in the top edge of board 22. With the latch released, the arm rest member 13 may be lifted from the frame 20. If desired, the pins 36 may be removed from their holes 37 and placed in seats 38, the heads thereof constituting decorations.

The margin-engaging member 14 is shown as a back rest and the same may be separably mounted on the back board member 21 between partition members 23 or between one said member and the adjacent end member 22, as shown in Fig. 2. Said back rest element is shown as comprising a pair of upright members 39 connected by transverse boards 40, the lower ends of the member being provided with hooks 41 adapted for hooking engagement over said back board member 21. Said back board may be simply lifted for removal from the basic unit and, when connected in place, will amply support rearward pressure or the reclining weight of the back of a person.

The present structure includes one, two, or more seat cushions 15 that are of rectangular shape and of a size to snugly tit a. frame opening 14, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. With support frame 12 in its low, flat position, the entire lower portion of a cushion 15 may be squeezed, as shown, into a frame opening to form a padded bench which is itself compressible and partakes also of the resiliency of the support element 12 therebeneath. Thus, all four board members surrounding an opening 24 hold a cushion 15 against accidental displacement, yet said cushion may be easily lifted from the seat opening and, if desired, placed in another seat opening of unit 10.

With support element 12 in sloping position, the rear portion of the cushion prevents such displacement by being conned by the back and rear portions of end or partition boards.

The back cushions 42 may be provided to pad the back rest 14. The same may be designed to fit between the upright members 39 of said back rest and against the transverse boards 40. One back cushion may be provided for each back board 14.

It will be seen from the foregoing that either or both margin-engaging members 13 and 14 are subject to the resilient pressure thereagainst by portions of cushion 15, thereby minimizing play between the basic unit and said members 13 and 14. Such interengagement can be seen at the right end of Fig. 6 and at the left portion of Fig. 5.

The table top 16 is shown as rectangular to span across an opening 24, as may be seen in Figs. 4 and 6. Front to back, the same may be wider than the frontto-back dimension of the frame, as in Fig. 4, and, as shown in Fig. 6, the top may have a length equal to the length of an opening 24 plus the thickness of a board 22 or 23. Cleats 43 are provided on the under side of said table top, the same centering the top above opening 24. Thus, the end board members 22 or the partition board members 23, as the case may be, are but halflapped by the table top, thereby enabling placing in the frame of two or three such tops, the continulty of which is broken only by a seam or seams where they meet.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that a frame 20 with two or more openings 24 may be tted with marginengaging members and/or opening-spanning members in a great many different ways to produce an article of furniture that has many variable convertible forms. Thus,

in a quick and easy operation, without tools, the basic unit may interchangeably receive such converting members.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invetnion. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all moditications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Convertible furniture comprising a rectangular frame having supporting legs thereon and formed with side, front and back members, an arm rest on a side member, said arm rest having depending portions nesting with complementary portions on the side member with means for securing the arm rest and the side member releasably together, the front and back members each having an upper edge and an inwardly extending ledge thereon, a removable support element resting within the frame and upon the ledges, one of the ledges being wider than the other, the support element having a depending cleat adjacent but spaced from one edge, the cleat being adapted to seat on the wider ledge, and the other side of the support element being adapted to seat on the narrow ledge when the support element is in one position to support the element in an inclined position, but when the support element is reversed the edges of the support element having its edges resting on the ledges to support the support element in a flat position.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which a table forming plate is removably positioned with its edges resting on the tops of the front, side and back members.

3. Convertible furniture comprising a rectangular frame having supporting legs and front, back and side members, an arm rest on a side member, said arm rest having depending portions nesting with complementary portions on the side member with means for releasably securing the arm rest and the side member together, the said front, back and side members having upstanding edges, a removable back rest having side posts recessed at their lower ends to form notches to fit over the edge of the back member, the lower end of each post having a thin metallic strip secured thereon and extending so as to form one side of the notches for removably securing the back rest, the posts being inclined backward to provide an inclined back rest.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 816,084 Flindall Mar. 27, 1906 2,050,675 Tanner Aug. 11, 1936 2,716,775 Kenimer Sept. 6, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 159,370 Switzerland Mar. 16, 1933 

